The Cuemakers Cue Maker?

[Maverick54]

We often see threads on who was the greatest snooker player but wondered if this question had ever cropped up. (sure it must have)

We have some excellent master craftsman on here who turn out beautiful looking cues that we would all be proud to own. Wont mention any names for fear of leaving somone out.

I just wonder who they have looked up to over the years and in particular regard as the best cue maker that has ever walked the planet.

[bigandyg]

As someone who can just about make plain butted cues I have the greatest of respect for the guys who make beautiful multi spliced custom cues. Especially as todays customer demands things like 29.5mm butts,9.75mm ferrules and do not even get me started on balance points,made and sold hundreds of cues for twenty years and was never once ask for the balance point.

[SouthPaw]

Good question, I think many of the top UK makers would believe that themselves are the best, I can't see Mike, Trevor, John, Robin etc agreeing that their competitor makes a better cue and maybe rightly so...

[DeanH]

I am sure that would be so
Seriously though, a few have on posts said mutual respect to the others products.
But what about cue makers from the past, any particluar maker/makers stand out?

[Maverick54]

Exactly, we see Hunt & O'Byrne cues selling for thousands of pounds. Were they the best? was John Parris the best when he made cues? Nice hear some thoughts on the subject.

[rob s]

Good question, I think many of the top UK makers would believe that themselves are the best, I can't see Mike, Trevor, John, Robin etc agreeing that their competitor makes a better cue and maybe rightly so...

Actually robin told me recently that he thinks Dave coutts is the best cuemaker in the world right now, and that was himself included!

[sanman]

I dont know who makes GBL cues but its the best craftsmanship i have seen on a cue. That includes all the major UK cues makers.

[SouthPaw]

Actually robin told me recently that he thinks Dave coutts is the best cuemaker in the world right now, and that was himself included!

Well that's credit to Robin for being honest, from what i hear you couldn't meet a nicer person...

[rob s]

Well that's credit to Robin for being honest, from what i hear you couldn't meet a nicer person...

He is an absolute gent, it would be hard to meet a nicer more accommodating guy

[willtyson]

Actually robin told me recently that he thinks Dave coutts is the best cuemaker in the world right now, and that was himself included!

Very good of Robin to say that. Coutts is the best imo.

[ADR147]

there are about 10 or 12 people that can make a cue as well as it is possible to make so it is not really a question with an answer.

[NiallAE111]

Actually robin told me recently that he thinks Dave coutts is the best cuemaker in the world right now, and that was himself included!

I am using a coutts cue atm and it is the best cue i have used to date, couldnt fault my cue in anyway.

[old school]

From previous posts Trevor White is a great admirer of Coutts work , as am I and many other TSF members as well. Have to agree with ADR though , there are many makers who can create perfect cues and everyone has an individual perspective and different taste even in design and materials used , so any answer to your question is opinion , not factually quantifiable.

[j6uk]

I would think the best cue makers (the one who consistently turns out good hitting cues) would be the ones who new just what a good cue feels like.. So maybe the best cue makers would also be very good players themselves?

[Achamian]

I have seen many cues made by, as I call them, the Famous Five (i.e. John, Dave, Trevor, Mike and Robin) which have all been equally beautiful to the eye (in terms of splicing etc) and also superbly crafted (in terms of precise workmanship). The beauty and precision of some of the cues I have seen has been absolutely stunning. I am a great admirer of beautiful, precision made cues. I just love looking at them.

But, conversely, I do sometimes wonder if all this beauty and precision is just a clever marketing ploy to make us pay a fortune for a snooker cue. After all, at the end of the day, it's a snooker cue. It's not an essential part of an aircraft engine or something. So I ask myself, is all this beauty and precision really necessary? (Obviously the beauty is not necessary. But is the precision really necessary?)

When you take into account the fact that Stephen Hendry won seven world titles with a 40 quid, off-the-shelf, PowerGlide one-piece maple cue - which was as bent as a dog's hind leg. And then, after his trusty PowerGlide got broken, he won hardly anything when he was playing with precision made cues of the kind mentioned above - it does make you think!

So, basically, if you want to spend £500+ on a beautiful precision made cue, then by all means do so. But don't think that you will necessarily play better with it than with a £50 off-the-shelf one.